Hi all!! Thank you to everyone that helped guide me with raw feeding. Two days ago I started feeding raw chicken to all 3 of my dogs (Teddy ate some the 2nd day and so did Cookie and Knuckles was gung ho from the start) and last night Knuckles (sorry for being graphic) started with diarrhea with grass and some thing foreign looking in it and he vomited twice, once last night with grass and then this morning with bile. I fed him rice and pumpkin today but I am a little scared to feed him anything else. Any suggestions.....

Sometimes switching to RAW will give them the poops & the pukes as their digestive systems get used to digesting a different type of food. Be patient, it will end very soon. Usually dogs that have allergies to food ( I have one that is allergic to chicken) will show it in their skin usually in itchiness, hot spots or rashes.

There's a fine line between genius and insanity. I have erased this line.

cheekymunkee wrote:Sometimes switching to RAW will give them the poops & the pukes as their digestive systems get used to digesting a different type of food. Be patient, it will end very soon. Usually dogs that have allergies to food ( I have one that is allergic to chicken) will show it in their skin usually in itchiness, hot spots or rashes.

I am wondering if I started this at the wrong time. He was diagnosed with Demodectic mange last Thursday. I hope this does not aggravate the problem. Oh Boy!!!

cheekymunkee wrote:I have had no experience with demodox so I can't be of any help on that question. I think Bully is right thoguh, from what I remember reading it is supposed to be best for a dog with skin problems.

I swear I'm not being cocky at all, but I am right now that I went back and checked on things. Most vets will try to sell you Science Diet to make things better. On my end, I have learned that feeding a proper BARF diet with little or now wheat can really make a world of difference. I've also heard (and will be trying tomorrow on my sister's golden) that a 5 to 1 white vinegar to water mixture can be used to wash the dog...helping to kill a lot of the bacteria on the skin.

cheekymunkee wrote:I have had no experience with demodox so I can't be of any help on that question. I think Bully is right thoguh, from what I remember reading it is supposed to be best for a dog with skin problems.

I swear I'm not being cocky at all, but I am right now that I went back and checked on things. Most vets will try to sell you Science Diet to make things better. On my end, I have learned that feeding a proper BARF diet with little or now wheat can really make a world of difference. I've also heard (and will be trying tomorrow on my sister's golden) that a 5 to 1 white vinegar to water mixture can be used to wash the dog...helping to kill a lot of the bacteria on the skin.

White vinegar can definately help. The biggest problem with Hills products (ie: Science Diet) is that they contain a lot of corn substances in them, which are horrible for the coat, and can not be easily digested so they are simply a useless filler which is helping to fatten your dog up.

Did you try a premade or a home made raw? I would go for premade for a while until you are sure you know what you're doing with homemade. I tried the homemade for a while and my pup didn't do so good on it (I obviously messed up somewhere) so he's back on premade and doing fabulous. Raw should definately help with the demodex.

"All changes, even the most longed for, have their melancholy; for what we leave behind us is a part of ourselves; we must die to one life before we can enter another." -Anatole France

Did you try a premade or a home made raw? I would go for premade for a while until you are sure you know what you're doing with homemade. I tried the homemade for a while and my pup didn't do so good on it (I obviously messed up somewhere) so he's back on premade and doing fabulous. Raw should definately help with the demodex.

I tried home made raw. What premade do you use? I am going on vacation in a week and I put the dogs on Timberwolf so I wouldn't leave with there being any problems.[/quote]

Switching to raw 'cold turkey' (pardon the pun) is not a good idea. The dog's system needs some time to adjust to the different food. This is the same as when you switch kibbles, if you just change one day your dog may get sick.

Connor got mange not long after switching to raw. We put him back on kibble and he's fine now. I'm not willing to try it with Ruby.

They are both on Merrick, and doing very very well. Ruby had death breath bad enough to make you gag, but last week I started putting one enzyme tablet in every bowl of food and the gas ad dog breath is completely gone.

Connor's coat is much less wirey and coarse as well. It is glossy and feels more like hair. Ruby has looked 'waxed' since we put her on decent food just after we got her.

I don't think either of us will be switching off of Merrick anytime soon.

Michelle

Inside me is a thin woman trying to get out. I usually shut the bitch up with a martini.

mnp13 wrote:Switching to raw 'cold turkey' (pardon the pun) is not a good idea. The dog's system needs some time to adjust to the different food. This is the same as when you switch kibbles, if you just change one day your dog may get sick.

Connor got mange not long after switching to raw. We put him back on kibble and he's fine now. I'm not willing to try it with Ruby.

My bad. I have always done a gradual switch over with all foods I have done. But not this time. I listened to advice elsewhere and did the wrong thing. Obviously.

Knuckles had the mange prior to switching to RAW. I am sure it did not help the situation doing it the way I did it.

mnp13 wrote:Switching to raw 'cold turkey' (pardon the pun) is not a good idea. The dog's system needs some time to adjust to the different food. This is the same as when you switch kibbles, if you just change one day your dog may get sick.

Connor got mange not long after switching to raw. We put him back on kibble and he's fine now. I'm not willing to try it with Ruby.

They are both on Merrick, and doing very very well. Ruby had death breath bad enough to make you gag, but last week I started putting one enzyme tablet in every bowl of food and the gas ad dog breath is completely gone.

Connor's coat is much less wirey and coarse as well. It is glossy and feels more like hair. Ruby has looked 'waxed' since we put her on decent food just after we got her.

I don't think either of us will be switching off of Merrick anytime soon.

It depends on the dog. Many dogs do fine switching cold turkey...all three of mine did wonderful. I have switched to different kibbles cold turkey and switched to raw cold turkey with no issues. IF your dog has diarrhea when first switching, it may be that his gut is lacking some of the necessary enzymes that help digest the food, or his immune system may be compromised. I would try adding a digestive enzyme for the first few weeks. When you get one make sure it contains pancreatin, betain and ox bile. HERE is a good one. Digestive enzymes also sometimes help when your dog has bad gas, or diarrhea, all which can be signs of an unbalanced gut.

Last edited by concreterose on January 24th, 2006, 6:30 pm, edited 1 time in total.

It depends on the dog. Many dogs do fine switching cold turkey...all three of mine did wonderful. I have switched to different kibbles cold turkey and switched to raw cold turkey with no issues. IF your dog has diarrhea when first switching, it may be that his gut is lacking some of the necessary enzymes that help digest the food, or his immune system may be compromised. I would try adding a digestive enzyme for the first few weeks. When you get one make sure it contains pancreatin, betain and ox bile. [url=HERE[/url] is a good one. Digestive enzymes also sometimes help when your dog has bad gas, or diarrhea, all which can be signs of an unbalanced gut.

Well he has demodectic mange which would compromise his immune system. Or maybe it was just an allergy to chicken. I do use Vita Dreams Daily Greens. I have also been using vitamins such as Vitamin C, Bee Pollen, Wild Salmon Oil, etc.. to help boost his immune system due to the mange.